schneider



(No Model.) 2 Sheets-8heet 1.

A. F. SCHNEIDER. VENDING MAUHINE.

No. 488,840. Patented Deo.- 27, 1892 A TTOHNE Y8.

(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

,A. F. SCHNEIDER.

VENDING MACHINE. I

No. 488,840. Patented Dec. 27, 1 892.

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NITED STATES ATENT Fries.

ADOLPI-I F. SCHNEIDER, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

VENDING- MACHINE SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 488,840, dated December 27, 1892.

Application filed September 16, 1892. Serial ITO-446,090. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, ADOLPH F. SCHNEIDER, of New York city, in the county and State of New York, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Vending-Machines, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

My invention relates to an improvement in vending machines, and has for its object to provide a machine of that character in which the mechanism will be exceedingly simple, compact and durable, and to provide a machine capable of delivering merchandise of any description.

Another object of the invention is to so construct the delivery mechanism that if a coin is not placed in the machine and the delivery mechanism is operated no injury will result to the latter.

Another object of the invention isto provide a means whereby should one or more coins become fastened in the throat of the machine the operative mechanism will not be in the least affected.

The invention consists in the novel construction and combination of the several parts, as will be hereinafter fully set forth and pointed out in the claims.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings forming a part of this specification, in which similar figures and letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in all the views.

Figure l is a side elevation of the interior of the vending machine, one side of the easing being removed; Fig. 2 is a horizontal sec tion taken practically on the line 2-2 of Fig. 1; Fig. 3 is a vertical section through the merchandise delivery mechanism in its normal position, the section being indicated by the line 3-3 of Fig. 2; and Fig. 4 is a section similar to that shown Fig. 3,but the merchandise delivery mechanism is shown in its inner position, and the coin as just about to be dropped and thrown into the storage compartment or till.

The casing A of themachine may be of any approved construction, of any desired shape,

and any material may be used in its construction. Ordinarily, however, the casing is constructed with quite a deep lower section B, and a somewhat shallower upper section B. In the shallower upper section the slideways 10 are located in which the merchandise 11 to be distributed is placed. The merchandisc as illustrated in the drawings is made up into square packages, but the shape of the packages may be changed and the merchandise need not be wrapped if such disposition is not found advantageous.

The merchandise is placed in the slide-ways in the form of a column, and at the rear of each slide Way an opening 12, is formed, which will admit of the outward passage of but one package at a time, as shown in Fig. 1. The slide-ways as shown inFig. 2, are made to face one-another, and are secured upon any approved form of upright 13, located in the upper reduced portion of the casing. Each slide-way has a narrow bottom ledge 14, as is likewise shown in Fig. 2, which ledge supports the lowest package of the column. A shaft 15, is held to slide in suitable bearings produced in the front of the casing preferably at its central portion. This shaft extends within the casing some distance, and likewise extends outward beyond the front face of the casing. The inner end of the shaft has a hollow cylinder l6, attached thereto or formed integral therewith, the outer or front face of which cylinder is preferably entirely closed. In the rear or open end of the cylinderavertical slot 17, is produced, and this slot is adapted to receive the coin 18, which coin may be of any predetermined denomination. When the coin is fully within the slot 1 7v its upper edge may be made to fall in the cylinder by pressing rearward its lower edge. The

position of the coin in the cylinder, which may be properly termed a coin receiver, is illustrated in Fig. 4. When the shaft 15 and the cylinder are in their normal position, the lower end of the throat 19, restsimmediately over the cylinder slot 17, as shown in Figs. 1

and 3. This throat is in direct communication with the slot produced in the casing, through which slot the coin that is to assist in the operation of the machine is introduced, and the coin passes down into the throat. It sometimes happens that two coins rest in the throat at the same time and one of them projects and being held stationary willinterfere with the inward movement of the coin receiver and its shaft 15. In fact, if the throat were made entirely rigid and such a contingency as above set forth should arise, if pressure were to be exerted upon the receiver shaft 15, injury would result not only to the throat but possibly to the coin receiver; therefore the throat is constructed in two sections 19 and 19", the sections being connected by a hinge, as shown in Fig. 1; and the two sections are kept normally in alignment,one beneath the other, by means of alug 20. Thus in the event that two coins should rest in the throat and the coin receiver should be pushed inward, the lower end of the throat will yield and no accident will happen to the mechanism of the machine. The movement of the receiver in the casing is preferably guided by means of two arms 21, located one upon each side of the coin receiventhe forward uitls of the arms being attached to the front of the casing. Each of these guide arms has a slot 22 formed in it; and through these slots pins 23, extend, the said pins being fast to the sides of the coin receiver, as shown in Fig. 2. Each pin is connected with a spring 24, and these springs are seen red at their forward ends to the forward portion of the casing, or to the feet of the arms 21, as is likewise shown in Fig. 2. Thus normally the coin receiver 16, is kept in engagement with a check ring 25, secured upon the inner face of the casing around the shaft 15; and a sufficient length of the shaft- 15 will extend beyond the front of the casing to enable it to be readily manipulated.

In the bottom of the coin receiver a longi' tudinal slot 26, is produced, adapted to receive the upper end of a dog 27. This dog is pivoted in bearings 28, the bearings being fast upon a strap or platform 29, which strap or platform is attached to the front of the casing and extends from side to side thereof beneath all of the mechanism for receiving and manipulating the coin, as shown in both Figs. 1 and 2. The bearing 28, in which the dog 27, is pivoted, is so located that the dog will extend upward in the slot 26 of the coin receiver at the inner end of that slot when the receiver is in its extreme inner position. The dog 27, has a foot 27, which permits the dog to be turned upon its pivot when pressed in a rearward position, which effectually prevents the dog from being moved forwardly to the slightest degree. In both Figs. 3 and 4 the dog is shown in its normal position with its foot against the bearing 28.

Upon the rear end of the platform 29 a bearing 30, is firmly secured, and in this bearing a shaft 31 has movement, the shaft being immediately back of the receiving cylinder 16. This shaft is spring-controlled, that is to say, a spring 32, is wound around the shaft, which has a bearing against a head 33, formed upon the inner end of the shaft, and the rear end of this spring bears against the journal or bearing 30 in which the shaft slides. The spring normally forces the shaft so far forward that its head is immediately in front of the coin receiver or cylinder when the latter is in its normal position, as shown in Figs. 2 and 3. The shaft 31, has secured to its upper-surface some distance back of its head a frame 34:, and upon this frame two dogs 35, are pivoted, which dogs are capable of being moved rearward but can not be moved in a forward direction. The dogs upon the shaft 31 are so located that when the shaft is forced rearward they will pass beneath the column of merchandise 11, engage with the lowest package of that column and force that package out through the opening 12'of the slide-way.

Within the central portion of the platform 29 an opening 35, is produced, of considerable extent, and this opening is below the coin receiver or cylinder even when it is in either of its positions; and beneath the platform, especially beneath the openings therein, a drawer 36, or an equivalent receptacle is located, adapted to receive the coin placed in the machine. The platform 29, together with the drawer, serves to protect the mechanism and prevent any person from meddling with it, as the front portion of the casing at its lower end is provided with an opening 37, through which the mechandise is delivered. and a curved track 38, is secured at its upper end to the rear wall of the casing adjacent to and just below the column of mechandise, while the other end of this track is led downward and forward practically to the opening 37, so that when apiece of mechandise is carried from the column it passes down the track 38 and to the opening 37, from whence it may be readily removed.

The operation of this machineis as follows: A coin is dropped through the slot in the easing into the throat 19; and from the throatit passes into the slot 17 in the inner end of the coin receiver or cylinder. The coin having entered the receiver the outer end of the shaft 15 is pressed upon, which drives the coin receiver inward, and the coin at that time and while in the-receiver, is engaged at its back by the head of the rearshaft 31. As the coin receiver is carried rearward and the coin with it, the dog 27 is thrown downward, and the rear shaft 31 is pressed rearward against its spring 32, and this shaft carries with it the dogs 35, which as shown in Fig. 4, remove the bottom piece of mechandise from the column, and that piece slides down to the front opening of the machine. The coin is still held in the receiver by the rear shaft 31, and the dog 27 is now in engagement with the front side of the coin. The moment that the shaft 15 is released, its, springs 24, together with the spring upon the lower shaft, force the re ceiver forward, and the coin at its lower edge is forced gradually rearward by the dog 27 until the upper edge disengages from the slot in the receiver, and the coin will at that time drop downward through the opening 35 in the platform 29 and into the drawer 36 placed to receive it.

It is obvious that when no coin is placed in the machine its mechanism may be operated without the slightest injury thereto, as when the shaft 151s forced inward the headed portion of -the shaft 31 will be received within the coin receiver, and the rear shaft will not be acted upon in the least. Thus unless a coin is placed in the coin receiver and engaged by the head of the rear shaft the shaft is not moved and the dogs 35 will not operate to dispense the article of merchandise.

Having thus described my invention, I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent,-

1. In a vending machine, in combination, a pusher rod formed of telescopic spring actuated sections, the outer section having a coin receiving pocket, adjacent the front end of the inner section, a pivoted dog adapted to be engaged and swung in one direction by the coin, when the pusher rod sections are locked together by such coin and such rod is forced rearward, and arranged to adjust itself in front of such coin, after the coin has passed same and to trip it, as the rod sections return to their normal positions, all substantially as and for the purposes described.

2. In a vending machine, in combination, the delivery rod 31, the push rod 15, having a hollow cylinder 16 adapted to fit over the section 31 When unlocked and pushed inward, such cylinder 16 having a coin pocket on its rear face, and a slotted portion 26 in its lower edge, the pivoted dog 27, hung for a rearward tilting movement, its upper end projected to fit the slotted portion 26, in the cylinder 16, such upper end having an inclined portion adapted to be engaged by the coin, when the sections 31 and 15 are locked by the coin, all substantially as and for the purposes described.

8. In a vending machine, in combination, a pusher rod having a coin receiving pocket, a coin chute having a discharge throat registering with the aforesaid coin pocket and projected in the path of the movement of such rod, and arranged to swing rearward and rest on such rod when the rod is pushed inward, substantially as and for the purpose described.

4. In a vending machine, in combination, the pusher rod 15 having a vertical coin receiving pocket in its rear end, a Vertically disposed coin chute, having a hinged gravity member registering with and discharging into the upper edge of theafor'esaid coin pocket, and adapted to swing rearward and rest upon the pusher rod when such rod is forced rearward, whereby the lower end of the coin chute will be swung rearward and closed off, as and for the purpose described.

5. In a vending machine, the combination, With'a receiver for'merchandise, a plunger shaft located beneath the said receiver,-and dogs carried by the plunger shaft and adapted to engage the bottom article in the receiver, the said plunger shaft being sprin gcontrolled, of a hollow coin receiver provided with a pocket at the end adjacent to the plunger shaft and adapted to receive a coin, the coin receiver being also provided with an opening in its bottom leadinginto the interior, a push pin spring-controlled and connected with the coin receiver, and a fixed dog having movement in but one direction and extending upward through the slot in the coin receiver, as and for the purpose set forth.

ADOLPH F. scHNEiDER.

Witnesses:

S. M. LANDSMAN, OHAs. A. LEIBMAN. 

